Brighton and Hove Council is hopeful Hove beach could get its Blue Flag back after it passed water quality tests.
The council revealed today that tests carried out by the Environment Agency in the summer showed the water met stringent EU quality standards.
Now, it says it will probably apply again to the environmental charity Encams in a bid to get the Blue Flag award once more.
Council leader Mary Mears said: “Having clean seawater is a badge of honour for a coastal destination. Even though most visitors don’t swim in the sea, clean seawater says something positive about the quality of a place.
“So we’ll be applying again for Hove’s Blue Flag and are hopeful of getting it. That’s good news for businesses which depend on visitors. Of course it will require the beach to be very well run and litter free – but we know we’re delivering that in Hove and Brighton already.”
Hove beach first won a flag in 2007, the same year as Brighton beach. But while Brighton kept the flag the following year, poor water quality meant Hove lost the award.
The council blamed unusually heavy rain last summer, which washed pollutants from land to sea.
